!!Story Time!!
Write P.O.V
The Boys' Conversation (Justin, Dev, Sahil)
*Location: Rooftop of the villa in Venice, late evening.*
Justin leaned against the railing, eyes scanning the city lights below. Dev paced behind him while Sahil stood near the table, swirling a glass of water.
"None of this adds up," Dev said finally. "My father… he's involved in something. He lied to me for years. And now this Aarya shows up—Radhika's sister. Who we thought was dead."
Justin exhaled. "Not just alive. But twisted by what happened. She blames Radhika for it. And now… she's using your father as a weapon."
Sahil ran a hand through his hair. "I still don't understand how this even connects. Why now? Why all of us?"
Dev looked up, eyes dark. "Because we matter to Radhika. And hurting the people you love… that's the slowest kind of revenge."
Justin's jaw clenched. "She's playing a game. Bringing in Kartik and Akanksha with fake letters. Spinning this into something global."
Dev opened a folder on the table. "And I found this—while going through my father's old archives."
He pulled out a faded document with a crest at the top.
"*MedCore Italia*," he said. "A front organization. Connected to black-market research. Missing girls. Trafficking rings. One of the properties they funded? Matches the coordinates where Aarya was reportedly 'rescued.'"
Sahil stared. "So she wasn't just saved. She escaped something *dark*. And now she's turning it into fuel."
"And worse," Justin said softly. "She still thinks Radhika lived an easy life. That she forgot."
Dev met his eyes. "We have to stop this. Before she destroys Radhika completely."
---
**Scene Two: The Girls' Conversation (Radhika, Ishika, Gulafsha, Akanksha)**
*Location: A small guest room, maps and journals spread across the floor.*
Radhika sat cross-legged, staring at the photo of her and Aarya from childhood. Ishika was beside her, while Akanksha checked messages from Kartik. Gulafsha was organizing the scattered journal pages.
"I remember that day," Radhika said, voice low. "She said she'd get me ice cream. We took the back alley to avoid traffic. Then… someone grabbed her."
Ishika touched her hand gently. "And you?"
Radhika's eyes glistened. "I ran. I screamed. But someone caught me too. I was found hours later—alone, crying. No one ever told me what happened to Aarya."
Gulafsha said softly, "Because your family buried it. Hid it in silence."
Akanksha added, "They protected their reputation. But they left both of you broken."
Radhika clutched the photo. "She thinks I abandoned her. That I got rescued while she was left behind. But I didn't. I was kidnapped too… I just got lucky."
"She doesn't know that," Ishika whispered.
"And now she's hurting everyone I care about," Radhika said bitterly. "But I'm not that five-year-old anymore."
Akanksha handed her a note. "Kartik traced the hacking source. Dev's father didn't plan this. He was manipulated. Aarya used him. But there's another name that came up."
Radhika looked up. "Who?"
Akanksha hesitated. "Elio Romano. Italian intelligence. Disavowed five years ago. He's the one who *saved* Aarya. Trained her. And turned her against you."
---
**Scene Three: Dev's Discovery (Dev Alone)**
*Location: Dev's father's private study. Midnight.*
The safe clicked open with a soft hiss.
Dev held his breath.
Inside were three items—a black ledger, a USB drive, and an old photograph. He took the drive and plugged it into the encrypted laptop.
The screen blinked once… then revealed a video.
**Aarya.**
Sitting across from his father. Her face calm. Her voice colder than ice.
"You'll do as I say," she told him. "Or your empire falls. And so does your son."
Dev stared at the screen. His father's face was terrified.
"You're using my resources for *this*?"
"I'm using your guilt," Aarya whispered. "And you'll help me make her suffer. Or you'll watch your world burn."
Dev leaned back, heart pounding.
So it was true. His father wasn't the mastermind. Just a puppet in Aarya's play.
But there was someone else above her. Someone who gave her the tools.
And the war was far from over.
---
Kartik and Akanksha's Investigation – Akanksha's P.O.V
*Location: Quiet café in Venice | Late Night*
Akanksha sat opposite Kartik, her notepad full of cryptic names, timelines, and arrows. A hot espresso sat untouched between them.
"Elio Romano," she said softly, tapping her pen. "Disavowed. Accused of unethical psychological experiments. No trial. No closure."
Kartik's brows were furrowed. "And now he's a ghost. But it fits. A man like that, hiding in the cracks of the system, would be drawn to someone like Aarya."
Akanksha glanced out the window. "You think he trained her?"
"I think he saved her… then used her trauma to create a weapon," Kartik replied. "And now she's using Dev's father the same way Romano used her."
Akanksha sighed, eyes dark. "She's not just after revenge. She's after collapse—of Radhika's world. Piece by piece."
Kartik leaned in. "We need to find Romano. He's the only one who might still be pulling strings."
"And if we find him?" Akanksha asked.
"We flip the board."
---
Justin's P.O.V
*Location: Abandoned courtyard, outskirts of Venice*
Justin stood under the rusted arch, heart hammering in his chest. He had followed a digital trail from Dev's laptop. And now…
She was there.
Aarya.
Clad in black, standing under the moonlight like a ghost that never left.
"You came alone," she said, amused. "Brave."
Justin's voice was calm. "I came for Radhika."
Aarya's smile turned cold. "Of course. You all love her. But none of you were there when I screamed for help."
"She didn't leave you," he said. "She was a child. She was taken too."
"She was found!" Aarya hissed, stepping forward. "She got rescued. I rotted."
Justin stepped closer. "And now you're punishing everyone she loves. You've turned into what you hated."
Her silence was deep. But her eyes shimmered—not with tears, but memory.
"I didn't become this overnight, Justin. I died in pieces. And now I rebuild… in flames."
He whispered, "But it's not too late."
For a heartbeat, the storm in her faltered. But then, she turned away.
"Tell her the game has begun."
And she disappeared into the fog.
---
Radhika vs the Past – Radhika's Flashback P.O.V
*Location: Her mind | Midnight dream state*
She was five again.
Holding her sister's hand.
"Aarya… I want strawberry," she had giggled.
Aarya rolled her eyes but smiled. "Fine, last time."
They turned left. Into the alley. A shortcut.
Then—screams.
Hands.
Darkness.
Radhika saw her again. Aarya. In a cage. Bleeding. Screaming her name.
She reached out.
But someone pulled her away.
She woke up, gasping, soaked in sweat. The room dark, Ishika and Gulafsha asleep beside her.
But in her mind, Aarya still whispered:
**"You left me."**
---
### **4. Radhika's Brother – Rudra's P.O.V**
*Location: Delhi, India | Midnight*
Rudra sat at the edge of his bed, staring at the news article forwarded to his phone:
**"Indian Author Radhika Mehra Caught in International Web of Danger?"**
His fingers shook as he dialed her number.
**One ring. Two. Three. No answer.**
Again.
Still nothing.
He left a message, voice thick with concern.
"Radhika… it's me. Rudra. What the hell is going on? Call me back. Please."
He stared at the screen, chest tight.
"Don't disappear on me too…"
---
Absolutely. Here's the **next full chapter** with a **two-day gap**, growing tension, a **confrontation with Aarya**, her **manipulated bodyguards (including Justin's)**, and the powerful arrival of **Radhika's two brothers** at the climax. The tone balances suspense, emotion, and the unsettling chill of betrayal.
---
## **Chapter: The Gathering Storm**
### **Two Days Later – Gulafsha's P.O.V**
It had been two days.
Two long, restless, suffocating days.
They had searched every hidden alley in Venice, traced every clue left in that journal, even hacked through encrypted files Dev found on his father's phone. But nothing led them to Aarya. It was as if she had vanished again—like smoke escaping through cracks.
"She's not running," Ishika murmured that evening, pacing in the villa's dusty drawing room. "She's waiting."
"For what?" Gulafsha asked, voice tight.
Akanksha stood by the window, arms crossed. "For the moment it hurts the most."
And then the power cut out.
The silence was immediate, almost physical.
And in that silence, the front door creaked open.
---
### **Dev's P.O.V – Minutes Earlier**
He'd been in the study, going over his father's old journals again—page after page of cryptic entries.
Then the noise came.
Boots. Outside.
Dev rushed toward the hallway, his breath catching when he saw them—figures in black storming in, each face familiar.
Justin's old bodyguard, Aarav.
Two of Dev's father's former men.
All trained. All deadly.
And standing behind them… was **her**.
Aarya.
She wore a long coat, her hair flowing freely, a scar slicing just above her cheekbone like a memory of war. Her eyes didn't blink. Didn't flinch.
"I told you," she said, her voice calm. "The game has begun."
The men quickly overpowered them. Gulafsha, Ishika, Akanksha, and even Dev were forced to their knees. Hands behind backs. No escape.
Aarya walked among them like a queen surveying prisoners.
"You thought you were smart," she said. "Searching. Digging. Hoping. But this isn't a story you solve. It's a truth you endure."
Justin struggled, blood on his lip. "Aarav, you protected me! You swore to protect her!"
But Aarav's eyes were blank. Empty. "I follow the one who gave me purpose."
"I *didn't* give him purpose," Aarya corrected. "I showed him truth. Just like I will show all of you."
---
### **Radhika's P.O.V**
Knees on the floor. Surrounded by silence and betrayal. Her mind racing, not with fear—but memories.
Aarya knelt in front of her, almost gentle.
"You remember, don't you?" Aarya whispered. "That alley. You begged for ice cream. I said no. You cried. So I gave in."
"I was five, Aarya."
"You were happy," Aarya snapped, eyes now sharp with hate. "And I was taken. While you were saved."
"I wasn't saved!" Radhika shouted, voice cracking. "I was kidnapped too! I *screamed* for you! I blacked out! I was rescued because someone found me—not because they loved me more."
Aarya's lips trembled. But she hid it with a bitter laugh.
"Convenient memory. They buried my name. Buried me. But I'm back. And I will destroy *everyone* you love."
Ishika whispered, "This isn't justice, Aarya. It's cruelty."
Aarya stood. "Cruelty? This is *balance.*"
Just then—**the door behind her slammed open.**
---
### **Rudra and Veer – Entry**
Two tall figures stormed in.
**Rudra** – A seasoned officer, eyes cold with fury.
**kush** – The quieter one, built like a wall, but face burning with emotion.
Aarya turned—momentarily surprised.
"Step away from my sister," Rudra said. Calm. Controlled. Dangerous.
Aarya narrowed her eyes. "So the family finally shows up. How noble."
"You want justice?" Kush said, fists clenched. "You'll get it."
The standoff had begun.
But now—for the first time—**Aarya's confidence flickered.**
Not because of guns or backup.
Because **Radhika's family** had finally arrived.
And they weren't afraid of the past.
---
**From Radhika's Point of View**
The cold of the stone floor pressed into Radhika's knees as the ropes dug deep into her skin, but her mind was too numb to register pain. Around her, silence held like a taut string, each heartbeat loud, raw, and fragile. Ishika, Gulafsha, Akanksha, Dev, Justin—all were restrained, battered, but alive. And across from them, like a ghost reborn in vengeance, stood Aarya.
But the door burst open.
Two figures emerged from the smoky hallway, casting long shadows in the dim light. Radhika's breath caught in her throat.
**Rudra. Kush.**
Her elder brothers.
Rudra's voice sliced through the tension like a blade.
"Let them go, Aarya. It ends tonight."
Aarya didn't flinch. Her expression remained carved from stone. Her eyes, hollow and haunted, found Rudra's with the same venom she had reserved for Radhika.
"This is only the beginning," she said coldly. "You should've stayed out of it."
Kush stepped forward. "You think this is justice? No. It's a slow suicide… and you're dragging everyone down with you."
Aarya gave a broken laugh, bitter and breathless. "Justice? No. This is the echo of a scream no one listened to."
She turned her gaze to Radhika, and for a moment—just a moment—there was something soft in her eyes. Not forgiveness. Not love. Just the shadow of the sister who once held her hand on late summer evenings.
"You had everything," Aarya whispered, her voice trembling. "Books. Friends. Laughter. I had nothing but screams and cement walls. I remember you crying when they pulled you away that day… but they never came for me. They never looked."
"I didn't know," Radhika said, her throat tight. "I was a child, Aarya. I didn't choose to survive."
"No," Aarya said, her tone sharpening again. "But you lived. And I rotted. Forgotten."
Rudra's hand moved subtly to his holster. Aarya noticed.
"Don't," she warned, a small army of loyal men flanking her. Among them, Radhika recognized a face she hadn't expected—**Justin's former bodyguard**. The betrayal stung visibly on Justin's face.
"I trusted you," Justin murmured.
The man looked away.
Aarya smiled. "You all keep asking how I did this? Easy. I watched. I listened. I waited."
"And who gave you the tools?" Dev asked, his voice low. "Who orchestrated the moves?"
She didn't hesitate.
**"Romano."**
The name dropped like lead.
Aarya's voice turned reverent, almost wistful. "He found me when I was nothing but skin and rage. He gave me a mirror… and then gave me a sword."
"You used my father," Dev said. "You manipulated everyone close to Radhika."
"I didn't have to manipulate," Aarya replied coolly. "I only had to offer a little darkness. The cracks were already there."
Gulafsha's lip trembled. "Then what now? You end us all?"
"No," Aarya said. "I want Radhika to feel what I did. Betrayal. Silence. Powerlessness."
She stepped forward, close enough for Radhika to see the faint scar along her collarbone—evidence of the war she fought long before this one.
"Look at them," she whispered to Radhika. "You love them. And that makes them vulnerable."
But she didn't notice Rudra's slight movement. The pistol raised.
**BANG.**
The shot shattered the ceiling's edge. Debris fell like dust.
Aarya flinched—but didn't move.
"Next time," Rudra growled, "it won't be a warning."
Aarya stared, her eyes glassy, and said only one thing:
"You'll all regret not letting me die the day I disappeared."
And with that, she turned, her army following like shadows in her wake.
The doors slammed shut.
---
**From Dev's Point of View**
The villa had quieted into a ghost of itself. Moonlight traced the contours of broken furniture and the bloodstained tile. Dev sat beside Radhika on the balcony, both of them wrapped in silence, wrapped in the ache of what hadn't yet been said.
"She's still my sister," Radhika whispered.
Dev looked at her, unsure if he should offer comfort or truth.
"And you're still the girl she blames."
A slow breath left her lips. "I want to forgive her. I really do. But what she's done…"
"You don't have to forgive her now," he said, placing a hand over hers. "But you do have to fight her. Because this isn't over."
"No," Radhika said, her voice barely audible. "Romano is still out there."
Dev's jaw clenched.
"And he's the one who taught her how to destroy."
They both looked up at the same moon—and knew a darker night still waited ahead.
---
Thank you.....